Independent guide. Not affiliated with CMS, HHS, or Medicare.gov. Data updated October 24, 2026
Medicare Plan Exits County-level 2027 plan exit tracker

2027 county-by-county exit list

Medicare Advantage Plans Leaving in 2027: County-by-County Exit List

About 2.34 million Medicare Advantage members are in plans that CMS lists as non-renewed for 2027, across 2,132 counties. Check your county, your plan, and the deadlines that decide what happens on January 1, 2027.

2.34 million Affected members in non-renewed plans (CMS CPSC October 2026 + 2027 crosswalk).
2,132 Counties with at least one non-renewed plan and at least one affected member.
715 2026 contract-plan combinations marked terminated or non-renewed in the 2027 crosswalk.
3.2 million People estimated to need new plans for 2027, including service-area changes (outside reporting).

Check your own plan first

Five-digit ZIP only. The lookup runs in your browser.

What this list can and cannot tell you. The 2027 crosswalk is CMS data at the contract and plan level. It does not include 2027 county service areas. A plan marked “Renewal Plan with SAR” is continuing in 2027 but may leave some counties; those county removals cannot be named from the crosswalk alone. We mark every derived number and every limitation.

What is happening to Medicare Advantage in 2027

Medicare Advantage is the private-plan version of Medicare. In 2026, about 35.2 million people — roughly 55% of eligible Medicare beneficiaries — were enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, according to KFF. Those plans must renew with CMS every year. When a contract is not renewed, every plan under that contract ends on December 31, and members must choose another plan or return to Original Medicare.

For 2027, the exits are widespread. Outside reporting counted 1,471 counties with exit notices and 32 carriers, and estimated that about 3.2 million people need new coverage. Those figures include service-area reductions and other plan changes that are not visible in a simple contract termination count. Our own crosswalk analysis finds 715 contract-plan combinations ending, with 2,340,823 members in 2,132 counties where CPSC reports enrollment. The county count is higher than the 1,471 figure because we count every county with at least one non-renewed plan and at least one member; the reported figure uses a different notice and plan scope.

The pressure is not temporary. CMS finalized a 2027 rate increase of about 5.06%, reversing roughly $13 billion from the proposed rate, but insurers still cite rising utilization, risk-adjustment changes, star-rating pressure, and benefit costs. That is why plans are exiting even after the rate reversal, and why the 2027 plan year is being described as a third year of disruption.

Which states have the most affected members

These ten states account for the largest affected populations in our published set. Each state page lists every county with an exit, the carriers involved, the local SHIP phone number, and the dates that apply.

Affected Medicare Advantage members by published state
State Affected members Counties with exits Ending plans 2026 MA enrollment
Minnesota 315,533 78 21 551,833
Florida 297,947 65 60 2,795,565
New York 197,685 62 47 1,837,345
Ohio 169,931 88 30 1,214,190
Texas 155,901 177 65 2,222,272
Washington 141,213 39 38 667,271
California 138,212 38 49 2,964,491
Connecticut 84,404 8 13 338,182
Oregon 68,520 19 22 466,507
New Mexico 60,509 30 18 205,699

Which carriers are ending the most plans

The table below groups non-renewed plans by parent organization across all counties in our CMS crosswalk. It is not a ranking of plan quality, and it does not imply that every organization is exiting every county.

Parent organizations with the largest affected enrollment (all counties)
Organization Affected members Ending plans Counties
Humana 404,247 1,169 670
UnitedHealthcare 320,978 957 538
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota 250,927 242 68
Aetna Medicare 214,688 772 488
Wellcare 121,134 1,248 659
Excellus Health Plan, Inc 72,388 87 30
Providence Medicare Advantage Plans 52,835 35 14
ConnectiCare 47,554 53 8
Wellmark Advantage Health Plan 43,446 138 121
Braven Health 42,245 47 21
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan 38,303 90 88
Central Health Medicare Plan 31,700 93 23
Kaiser Permanente 30,850 35 26
Presbyterian Health Plan 28,805 22 9
Medica 28,314 167 95

Parent organization names come from the CMS CPSC Contract Info file. A single parent can operate several contracts and plan names.

Why plans leave, and why it matters to your county

A contract exit is a business decision, but its effect is local. A plan with 200 members in a rural county can be the only Medicare Advantage option in that county. A plan with 60,000 members in a metro county can leave thousands of people shopping at once. The same headline produces very different outcomes depending on where you live.

Utilization and costs

Medicare Advantage plans are paid a risk-adjusted capitation rate. When medical utilization rises faster than the rate update, plans respond by cutting benefits, narrowing networks, or exiting counties. CMS’s final 2027 rate update was better than the proposed rate, but it did not erase the cost pressure.

Star ratings

Star ratings affect quality bonus payments. Plans below the threshold can lose revenue and decide to exit. The 2027 Part C ratings are contract-level, not plan-level; we show the contract rating for each plan and label it. The average 2027 rating in our dataset is 3.8 across all MA plans, and 3.8 across the plans marked as exiting.

Service-area changes

A plan can renew its contract and still leave a county. The crosswalk marks those as “Renewal Plan with SAR” (service area reduction), but it does not list the counties removed. This is the single biggest data limitation on this page. If your plan renews with SAR, call the plan and confirm that your county is still in the 2027 service area.

What is not in this dataset

  • Employer group plans and most PACE or cost plans are excluded from the MA plan count.
  • 2027 premiums and drug deductibles are not in the CPSC files; we do not estimate them.
  • Plan networks and drug formularies are not in these files; confirm them with the plan.
  • Counties outside the ten published states are not given a page in Phase 1.

The 2027 timeline

These are the dates that decide whether your coverage is continuous. The Annual Election Period is the main window, but people whose plan is non-renewed also get a special enrollment period that runs through February.

2027 Medicare Advantage dates and deadlines
Event Date What it means
Annual Election Period (AEP) October 15 – December 7, 2026 Join a 2027 Medicare Advantage or Part D plan. A plan chosen here starts January 1, 2027.
Non-renewal Special Enrollment Period December 8, 2026 – February 28, 2027 For people whose Medicare Advantage plan is leaving. You can switch to another MA plan or return to Original Medicare.
2027 plan year begins January 1, 2027 If you do nothing, a non-renewed Medicare Advantage plan ends and you return to Original Medicare.
Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period January 1 – March 31, 2027 If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan, you can make one change during this window.
Medigap guaranteed-issue window November 1, 2026 – March 4, 2027 If your MA plan is leaving, you can buy a Medigap policy without medical underwriting during this federal window.

What to do if your plan is on the list

  1. Confirm the notice and your plan ID Your non-renewal letter should name the contract and plan ID. Compare it with the plan table on your county page. Non-renewal notices for December 31 contract endings must be sent by October 2, 2026.
  2. Make a doctor and drug list List your doctors, specialists, hospital, and prescriptions. Check each 2027 plan’s network and drug list before you compare premiums.
  3. Compare every 2027 option in your county Use the county page and Medicare Plan Finder. Confirm the plan is accepting enrollment in your county for 2027.
  4. Enroll during the AEP or the non-renewal SEP Enroll by December 7, 2026 for a January 1 start. If you miss it, the non-renewal SEP runs December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027.
  5. If you return to Original Medicare, act on Medigap The federal guaranteed-issue window is 60 days before the plan ends through 63 days after. For a December 31, 2026 ending, that is November 1, 2026 through March 4, 2027.

Check your plan in the lookup tool

Published county pages

These 30 counties have the largest affected populations in the ten published states. Each page lists the ending plans, the 2026 enrollment behind each number, the 2027 alternatives from the same carriers, and the local SHIP phone number.

Counties with no renewing plan

36 counties in our dataset have 2026 Medicare Advantage enrollment but no 2026 plan that the crosswalk lists as renewing for 2027. That is not the same as “no Medicare Advantage plans will be sold in 2027.” New plans can enter, and a renewal with a service-area change can still serve a county. Outside reporting estimates that 181 counties will have no MA plans in 2027; we cannot reproduce that count from the crosswalk alone.

If you live in one of these counties, check Medicare Plan Finder for 2027 plan availability before you assume you have no option. If there is no MA plan, you can use Original Medicare with a Part D plan and, if eligible, a Medigap policy.

How this list was built

We use the October 2026 CMS CPSC Contract Info and Enrollment Info files for plan names, carriers, plan types, and county enrollment. We join each 2026 contract and plan to the CMS 2027 Part C&D Plan Crosswalk. A plan is labeled exiting only when every crosswalk row for that plan is a termination. A plan with a renewal, consolidation, or service-area row is labeled continuing, with the specific change named. Star ratings come from the 2027 Star Ratings data tables and are contract-level.

The dataset is versioned in the site repository and rebuilt weekly from CMS files. The current data version is 2026-10-24; the last content update was October 24, 2026. Read the full methodology and limitations before using a number in a decision.

Medicare Advantage 2027 exit questions

How many Medicare Advantage plans are leaving in 2027?

The CMS 2027 Part C&D Plan Crosswalk marks 715 contract-plan combinations as terminated or non-renewed. Those plans had 2,340,823 members in counties where CPSC reports enrollment for October 2026. Outside reporting estimates that about 3.2 million people need new plans once service-area reductions and other changes are included.

Which counties are most affected?

The largest affected counties in our published set are Hennepin, Minnesota (67,091), Bernalillo, New Mexico (29,674), San Diego, California (28,746), Ramsey, Minnesota (27,734), Dakota, Minnesota (26,657). See the county list for all 30 published pages.

Is my plan on the list?

Use the plan exit lookup with your ZIP code. The tool shows every 2026 plan in your county and its 2027 crosswalk status. If your plan is not listed, it may be an employer group plan, a PACE plan, a cost plan, or a plan that is not in the CMS files we use.

What happens if my plan is non-renewed and I do nothing?

Your Medicare Advantage coverage ends December 31, 2026. On January 1, 2027 you return to Original Medicare. You may lose dental, vision, hearing, fitness, and other extra benefits, and a stand-alone Part D plan may also end. You can still use the non-renewal SEP through February 28, 2027 to join another plan.

Can I switch plans after December 7, 2026?

Yes, if your plan is leaving. The non-renewal Special Enrollment Period runs December 8, 2026 through February 28, 2027. During that window you can join another Medicare Advantage plan or return to Original Medicare. If you are already in a Medicare Advantage plan in 2027, the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period runs January 1 through March 31, 2027.

Do I lose Part D drug coverage when my MA plan leaves?

Possibly. Most Medicare Advantage plans include Part D. If your MA plan ends and you return to Original Medicare without joining a stand-alone Part D plan, you can face a coverage gap and a late-enrollment penalty. Check your drug list and enroll in a 2027 Part D plan if you need one.

Can I buy Medigap without medical underwriting?

If you have a Medicare Advantage plan that is leaving, federal guaranteed-issue rules generally give you a Medigap window that starts 60 days before the plan ends and ends 63 days after. For a plan ending December 31, 2026, that window is November 1, 2026 through March 4, 2027. State rules can add rights, so confirm with your state insurance department.

What if my county has no Medicare Advantage plans in 2027?

Outside reporting says 181 counties will have no MA plans in 2027. Our crosswalk analysis can identify 36 counties where no 2026 plan in the county is listed as renewing. That is a derived flag, not a CMS 2027 county availability file, because CMS has not published 2027 county service areas in the CPSC data.

How accurate is the data?

Status comes from the CMS 2027 Part C&D Plan Crosswalk. Enrollment comes from the October 2026 CPSC county file. Star ratings are contract-level 2027 Part C ratings. The data cannot show which counties a “Renewal Plan with SAR” will leave, and it does not include every employer group or PACE plan. Always confirm with the plan or Medicare.gov. Data version 2026-10-24, last updated October 24, 2026.

Does this site sell insurance or collect my Medicare number?

No. Medicare Plan Exits is an independent information site. We do not sell insurance plans, and the lookup does not ask for your Social Security number or Medicare number. The ZIP code is used only in your browser.

Sources

  1. Monthly Enrollment by Contract/Plan/State/County (CPSC), October 2026 — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-10. 2026 county and plan enrollment, plan names, plan types, carrier names.
  2. 2027 Part C&D Plan Crosswalk — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-10-01. CMS mapping from 2026 contract/plan IDs to 2027 status.
  3. 2027 Star Ratings Data Tables — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-10-08. Contract-level 2027 Part C star ratings.
  4. MA Plan Directory — Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2026-10. Carrier and organization names.
  5. Medicare Advantage in 2026: Enrollment Update and Key Trends — KFF, 2026. National MA enrollment context (35.2 million, 55% of eligible beneficiaries).
  6. CNN: More than 3 million Medicare Advantage enrollees need to find new plans for 2027 — Better Medicare Alliance, 2026. Reported estimate that about 3.2 million people need new plans for 2027.
  7. Medicare Advantage insurer exits pile up for 2027 — Modern Healthcare, 2026. Reported figure of 181 counties with no MA plans in 2027.
  8. CMS Finalizes 2027 Medicare Advantage Rates: 1,471 Counties, 32 Carriers — SeniorWire, 2026. Reported figures of 1,471 counties with exit notices and 32 exiting carriers.
  9. UnitedHealthcare and Humana are ending Medicare Advantage plans for nearly 1 million people — Fortune, 2026-10-20. Carrier-level context for UnitedHealthcare and Humana exits.
  10. 42 CFR 422.2267 — Required materials and content (non-renewal notice timing) — eCFR, current. October 2 non-renewal notice deadline for contracts ending December 31.
  11. Medicare Plan Finder — Medicare.gov, current. Medicare.gov plan comparison and enrollment.
  12. Get ready to buy a Medigap policy — Medicare.gov, current. Medigap guaranteed-issue rights and enrollment windows.
  13. State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) locator — SHIP TA Center, 2026-10-25. Free local Medicare counseling phone numbers.
  14. 2020 ZCTA to County Relationship File — U.S. Census Bureau, 2020. ZIP code to county lookup.

Medicare Plan Exits is an independent information site. It is not affiliated with CMS, HHS, or Medicare.gov, and it does not sell insurance plans. Plan availability, premiums, networks, and drug coverage can change; confirm every detail with the plan or Medicare.gov before enrolling. This page is not insurance advice.